A lovely coastal walk up to Gentle Annie Point to a maze and lookout, returning via a farm track and with an option of a loop bush walk to finish with.
Take SH67 northwards from Westport for ca. 35 km to Mokihinui. Continue over river bridge, then turn immediately left down De Manches Road. Walk starts at the shoreline.
Description
The main part of this walk is a stroll along a wild west coast beach, which is littered with skeletal constructions made from the storm debris that sweeps in ar regular intervals. This takes you to a rocky point which is worth exploring at low tide. From the back of the beach there's also access to a gravel track that leads up onto the pont where you can explore the Gentle Annie maze and when (if) you get out if that, you can follow the track down, back to the campsite where you started. But that's not all. In the bush behind the campsite there's another network of walks. So to extend your visit, go to The Cowshed Cafe and buy a coffee and ask the owners (or even better, stay at the campsite) - and you'll almost certainly be invited to try the walk out. There's a there-and-back track, with a bit of a scramble, up to a small waterfall, a loop walk that takes about 20 minutes to complete, and a longer walk that heads up to the maze and provides the opportunity for a loop walk back via the beach. It's all enjoyable, and the coffee in The Cowshed is good (and their pies even better) - so make the most of it.
